Today, we embarked on our first "via ferrata" in the Dolomites of northern Italy. According to the guide books, it was a relatively easy one. Translated, via ferrata means "iron road", and it is essentially a series of strong iron (or steel?) cables permanently attached to the rock, enabling one to climb safely by remaining always attached to the cable.
After a fairly steep hike up a challenging trail, we got to a vertical rock step. Embedded in the rock face was a metal ladder and the iron cable's anchor points. It looked intimidating, but once we clipped the carabineers from our harnesses to the cable, the sense of freedom and security endowed by this "iron rope" seemed to propel us upward, able to do what seemed, just before, nearly impossible.
We finally reached the summit, where a few others were sharing the view - this time, a group of Germans. A black bird of some sort flew just a few feet from us and hovered there, visiting with us for a few fleeting seconds before we descended to finally have a beer at the rifugio where we would spend the night. The weather cooperated today, and the views could not have been more spectacular. We will sleep well tonight!
No comments:
Post a Comment